Head block for air cooled internal combustion engines



Feb. 19, 1,935. c. 5. BROWN 1,991,447

HEAD BLOCK FOR AIR COOLED INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINES Filed Feb. 15, 1952 r 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 a W W W 15 Q v0 IL O- 16 INVENTOR. 7

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C 5. BROWN Feb. 19, 1935.

HEAD BLOCK FOR AIR COOLED INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINES Filed Feb. 15, 1952 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 m m E V N l A TTORNEYS.

Patented Feb. 19, 1935 r I '5 v Q,

UNITED STATES PA ENTO FICES HEAD BLOCK FOR AIR COOLED INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINES J u Charles S. Brown, Syracuse, NY.

Application February 15, 1932, Serial No.- 592,975"

, x 9 Claims. (01. 123-171) This invention relates to air cooledmulticylinflexibly connected, and the head of this applicader, internal combustionengines, and has for its tion is applicable to either of the foregoing types. object, a head block construction wherein the i This invention comprises a head blockfor air heads are a unitary structure for manufacturcooled engines partly separated into individual 15' ing and machining purposes and yet have the headsand provided with means, as relatively narrequiredamountlof individuality during the runrow'tie pieces, connecting the heads, so that thehing operationof the engine, that the heads of individual heads, which are the hottest part of" air cooled enginesmust' have. because of the the entire. cylinder construction, willbe a, uni greater temperatures to which air cooled engines, tary structure for the purpose of machiningand lo and particularly the heads thereoflare subjectassembling, and at the same time, have the re 10- ed, comparedjwithwater cooled engines. f g f quirediindividuality' during theoperationof the j The invention consists in the novel features enginaas' in air cooled engines where the'heads' and inthecombinations andconstructionshereare entirely separated, the connecting pie'cesbeinafter set forth and-claimed. ing rigid'for holding theblock as a unit during e In describing, this invention reference is had handling and'machining, but also flexible when 15 to the accompanying drawings in which like the block isheated under running conditions" of; characters designate corresponding parts in all the engine'so that the heads react individually to the views zthe heat, and are not afiected by the relative ex- Figure 1 is a plan view of a head'block for air pansion of adjacent heads. 1

cooled engines embodying my invention. In Figures 1,2and 3, 1 designates the head block 20 I Figure 2 is a side elevation of parts seen in formed with a'plurality of heads 2, the block being Figure 1." I a e v V shown as comprising four heads. The block;

, Figure 3 is an enlarged, fragmentary, longituillustrated is provided with base and top slabs dinal, sectional view of the. head. a 3 and 4, and with heat radiating flanges 5, which D Figure i isa planview, similar to Figure '1, of also extend at .6 between the combustion cham 25 another form of this invention." 1 f bers 7 of the heads. The heads are also provided Figure 5 a fragmentary view on'line 55, with intake and exhaust ports 8 and 9, valve seats, Figure 2. e p 10,and valve stem guide openings 11. The intake Figures 6, 7, and 8, are views, similar to Figures and exhaust passages open through the upper 1, 2, and 3, of another embodiment of my invenface of the top slab at 12 and-l3 respectively, '30 tion. j v r v I where they communicate with intake and exhaust Figure 9 is a fragmentary elevationofja cylinmanifolds, not shown, overlying the top slab. der and head block-showing a head embodying; The valve stem guide openings 11 also open thisinvention applied to aircooled engines where through the upper face of the top slab14, in order the. cylinders are formed 'entirelyseparate and thatthevalve stems may coact with valve mecha- 35 I 40 tion of parts seen FigurelO.

attached separately ,to, the crankcase. nisrn. The baseifplate- 3" ismachined to fit the Figure 10 is a fragmentary plan view. of a head end face or faces of the cylinder block, not shown. block embodying another form of the invention. In the construction shown Figures 1, 2, and

Figure 11 is an enlarged, fragmentary 'eleva- 3, the'block iscast, and machined with the ina f dividual headsintegral andthen,-the individual This head block is applicable to air cooled en. heads, are partly separated by c'utting slots 14 gines where the cylinders are en bloc,.partly sepwhich extend inwardly from fone side of the arated, or to engines wherethe cylinders are comblock and terminate short of the other side, leav-* pletely separated, as when the cylindersare bolt ing a small'connecting means, as tie pieces at 1 5 I ed to the crank caseindividually. l-leretofore, in betweenthe individual heads, the slots cutting air cooled engines, the cylinders have been" "part way through the flanges and the base and mounted individually on thecrank case, and each top slabs 3 and 4. The slots are usually so cylinder has. anjindividual head entirely separrangedthat'the'conneeting' pieces 15-; are 1 on arated and disconnected from the head ofthe the intake, or. cooler sideof the head,'and thein next cylinder. v :1 v 1 takeopenings '12 near the connecting'pieces 1 5. 50

' IIn my pending applications, Serial Nos. 5 73,l2 'l Preferably, the block is'provided with connecting filed November 5, 1931 and 58l,650 filed Decemmeans or tie pieces, as a bar or bars; 16 extending ber 17, 1931, the latter 'now being'Patent Number crosswise of the open ends of the slots", that is, 1,915,119,1have shownablock aircooledengine; they are located on theexhaust, orfhotter side i e with the cylinders partly-"separated, and others of the head'block, the barbeing' 'fixed to the in 55 dividual heads at 1'7. The bar 15 is usually of a metal having a low coefificient of expansion and contraction, such as invar. In Figures 1, 2, and 3, the bars are secured to the heads, as by screws, and a heat insulating strip 18 may be interposed between the bars and the heads. The connecting pieces 15 and the bar 16 provide connectingmeans between the individual heads of less width, or less dimension than the block width and usually, there are two bars 16, one located near thetop of the block, and the other, near the bottom and preferably, these bars are connected to the slabs 3, 4, in contradistinction to the cooling flanges 5, or to the heads between the slabs. Asthe connecting, or tie pieces 15, are located on the cooler side of the engine, and the bar 16 is of invar, or other material having a low coefficient of expansion is located on the exhaust, or hotter side of the engine, the linear expansion and contraction of any one head is not transferred to the next head. 7

, In Figure 4, a different arrangement of slotting is shown, in which the individual heads 2 are separated by slots 19 extending between the heads and terminating short of opposite sides of the block, so that small connecting or tie strips 20 remain at opposite 'endsof the slots 19, and either or both sides of the block are provided with short additional slots 21 on opposite sides of the end portions of the slots 19. This arrangement of slots also prevents the transfer of any linear expansion of one head to the adjacent headby'providing flexibility between the heads under running conditions, due to the small connecting or, tie pieces between the heads.

In Figure 9, the heads are similar to those shown in Figures 6 and '7, but connected by bars on opposite sides thereof similar to the bars '16, Figures 1 and 2. a

In Figures 1-0 and 11, the heads are similar to those shown in Figures 6 and 7, but connected by tie pieces of steel 40, on opposite sides of the block between the upper and lower slabs, the tie pieces 40 having their ends embedded in the slabs or adjacent heads, or head sections, and provided with loops 41 between their ends and located in line with thespaces or slots between the heads, or head sections. 'The loops provide flexibility between the heads when the heads are heated under running conditions.

Either the form of head shown in Figures 1, 2, 3, and 4, or the head shown in Figures 6, 7, 8, 9, 10 and 11, may be applied to a multicylinder block, partly or entirely separated, as in my pending applications referred to, or to a multicylinder engine where the cylinders are entirely separated, as shown inFigureQ, and in any case, the heads are a unitary structure with the individual heads separated from each other, insofar as expansion and contraction or distortion of any one head relative to the adjacent head is concerned.

What I claim -is:- l 1. A unitary head block for multicylinder internal combustion engines, the heads of the The slots 19 are.

block being partly separated from each other, and having flexible tie pieces integral with said heads to hold the heads rigid as a unit during handling and machining and permitting flexibility between heads so that the heads react individually under heated running conditions.

2. A head block for air cooled, multicylinder, internal combustion engines, the block being provided with intake and exhaust ports and passages, and valve seats and guides for the intake and exhaust valves, the block being formed with baseand top slabs, and heat radiating flanges between the slabs, the block being partly separated into individual heads and each head including sections of the slabs, and tie pieces connecting the individual heads, the tie 'piece's connecting the slab sections of adjacent heads. I

3. A head block for air cooled, multicylinder, internal combustion engines, the block being provided with intake and exhaust ports and passages, and valve seats and guides for the intake and exhaust valves, the block being formed with base and top slabs, and heat radiating flanges between the slabs, the flanges of, adjacent cylinders being separated, the slabs being provided with slots extending inwardly from one side of the block thereof separating the block into individual heads, said slots separating thelheads between the slabs and the slots terminating short of the other side of the block providing tie pieces, whereby the individual heads are partly connected.

4. A head block for air cooled, multicylinder, internal combustion engines, the block being provided with intake and exhaust ports and pas-- sages, and valve seats and guides for the intake and exhaust valves, the block being formed with base and top slabs, and heat radiating flanges between the slabs, the flanges of adjacent cylinders being separated, th e slabs being'provided with slots extending inwardly from oneside of the block thereof separating the block into individual heads, said slots separating the heads between the slabs and the slots terminating short of the other side of the block providing tiepieces, whereby the individual heads are partly 'connected, the intake ports of adjacent heads being located near the closed ends of the slots.

5. A head block for 'air cooled, multicylinder, internal combustion engines, the block being provided with intake and exhaust ports and passages, and valve seats and-guides for the intake and exhaust valves, the block being formed with base and top slabs, and heat radiating flanges between the slabs, and being provided withslots. extending inwardly fromone side thereof partly separating the block into individual heads, the slots terminating short of the other side of the block providing tie pieceswhereby the individual heads are partly connected, and tie pieces connected to the heads and extending lengthwise of the block and across the open ends of the slots.

6. A head block for multicylinder, internal combustion engines, the block being partially separated into individual heads, and tie pieces extending lengthwise of one side of the block and fixed to said heads to hold them in juxtaposition, said tie pieces holding the head rigid as a unit during handling and machining, and having flexibility to permit individualreaction of the heads under heated running conditions.

7. A head blockfor multicylinder, internal combustion engines, the block being partially separated into individual heads, tie pieces in tegral with the heads and being of less width- Wise dimension than the heads, and other tie pieces extending lengthwise of the block and I fixed to the heads to hold them in juxtaposition.

8. A head block for air cooled, multicylinder, internal combustion engines, the block being provided with intake and exhaust ports and passages, and valve seats and guides for the intake and exhaust valves, and being also provided vidual heads, and tie pieces extending lengthwise 3 of the block and fixed to the heads for holding them inunitary relation and infjuxtaposition to each' other.

9. A unitary head block for multicylinder air cooled internal combustion engines in which air cooled cylinders are separated throughout their lengths and at their head ends, the head block being detachable from the cylinders and the headset the block being partly separated from each other, and means integral with said heads,

connecting the heads together as a unit, said means being of less width than the widthwise dimension of the heads, whereby the greater part of. two adjacent heads are separated.

' CHARLES S. BROWN. 

